Sleepless
by miarella
Summary: Sometimes that awkward stage isn't quite so awkward...


**Sleepless**

**.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.**

Annabeth tossed and turned in her bed. It was silent in Cabin 6 except for the gentle sound of breathing and light snoring from her siblings and, of course, the sound of rustling blankets from the head counselor's bed.

She just couldn't sleep that night. She didn't know why (which was really abnormal for a daughter of Athena). No matter how much Annabeth counted sheep or closed her eyes, sleep just wouldn't consume her. A few minutes later, Annabeth was still wide-awake as she stared at the shadows on the walls cast by the silvery light of the moon.

Exasperated, Annabeth sat up and gently stepped out of her bed. She quietly padded across the cabin and outside. The night air was crisp and cool. Annabeth shivered as a breeze flew by. Yes, it was the middle of summer, but the nights were still cool and a tank top and baggy pajama pants weren't very insulating.

Annabeth looked around at the circle of cabins. Zeus's cabin looked as mighty and intimidating as ever with shadows being thrown about and such. The radiant golden glow from Apollo looked dull at night, as his sister's cabin was breathtaking. Seeing as Artemis was one of the many goddesses of the moon, her cabin was beautiful. One of the smoke stacks on the Hephaestus cabin was spewing out black smog. Annabeth wondered who else couldn't sleep that night. The breeze blew the scent of designer perfume from Aphrodite and the aroma of grapes from Cabin 12 making a sweet and pungent (and slight nauseating) scent fill the night air.

Annabeth looked up at her destination. The smell of the ocean and sea salt wafted around Cabin 3 with the faint scent of blue chocolate chip cookies also reaching Annabeth's nose. Annabeth looked around trying to see if the Stoll brothers were spying on her before slipping through the door of Cabin Three.

The floor was littered (as usual) with empty soda cans and crumpled up chip bags. Piles of dirty clothes were strewn in random places. Was that a pair of boxers hanging on the headrest? The IM fountain in the middle of the room made a faint trickling sound as water flowed in the bowl.

Annabeth walked over to Percy's bed. His unruly black hair was even messier in his sleep. Annabeth had to smile as she looked at her best friends face. He looked as childish as ever without all the stress from the war to plague him. A black lock fell over his eyes and his dimples were even more prominent in slumber.

Annabeth pulled the blanket up and slipped in beside him. The warmth radiating from his body felt so good against her skin. Annabeth pressed her foot against his leg since she had walked over barefoot. She laid her head down inches away from his face. Annabeth could feel Percy's gentle breath on her face. Instinctively, Percy's arm wrapped around Annabeth protectively. She snuggled against him and buried her face in his chest. Annabeth fell into a dreamless, peaceful sleep almost immediately.

PJOROXMYSOX

The sunlight streamed through the east window of Cabin 3 waking Percy Jackson from his sleep. The first thing he noticed was that he wasn't alone. Percy looked down to see the sleeping face of his best friend. Annabeth was curled up next to him with her hand on his chest and her face nuzzling his neck. Her breath tickled his skin. Annabeth leg had wrapped itself around his during the night. His faced cracked into a grin. Annabeth looked so innocent in her sleep, her face clear from a scowl and her eyes un-glaring. Most of her curly locks had slipped out of her ponytail during the night and had fallen on her face. Percy reached up and brushed a strand out of her eyes. His fingers tingled where they had brushed her face. Annabeth let out an incoherent murmur.

Percy tightened his grip around her. His arm was pressed up against the tan bare skin of her exposed arm. Most teenage guys would be very uncomfortable being all touchy feely with a girl who was only wearing a tank top (especially if that girl is the most beautiful person at camp), but to Percy it just felt natural.

After a few minutes of Percy staring at the ceiling, he felt Annabeth shifts and her eyes flutter open. Percy looked down at her.

"Mornin', Wise Girl." He murmured.

Annabeth yawned. "Morning, Seaweed Brain." She pulled her hand off his chest, but kept her head in the crook of his neck.

"Couldn't sleep last night?" Percy asked. Annabeth nodded. "Are you having nightmares?" He asked again. It was the third time this week Annabeth had spent the night in his cabin. Sure, they had always done that before, but now it was getting more and more frequent.

"No..." Annabeth answered. "It's just that...I don't know. I just can't get to sleep anymore."

She looked up at him, her gray eyes startling him time and time again without fail. "Why?" She asked. "Do you mind?"

"No." Percy said, a little to soon. His face was slowly turning scarlet. "I mean I don't mind. It's fine if you stay here." Actually, Percy didn't mind at all. He loved it when Annabeth would stay with him. He loved the feeling of her warm body pressed up to him and her breath on his neck...

Just then Travis Stoll burst through the door.

"Hey, Percy? Can I borrow your-"?

Travis blinked a few times at the site in front of him. Annabeth sat up mortified and Percy felt the irrational need to cover Annabeth with the blanket.

A smirk slowly crept up onto the son of Hermes face until it looked like his cheeks would burst from the grin plastered on his mouth. This morning just kept on getting better and better.

"So you guys were the ones getting it on last night. Annabeth, you really are a loud one."

The two on the bed just sat there, mortified.

...That's when Travis burst out laughing...really loud. Which, of course, brought the attention of most of the other campers...

Well, this was a swell way to start a day.

**_Fin._**


End file.
